Dejection in Dickinson: Blue Hawks fall in close-contest to Mayville State
Nov. 4—DICKINSON — The first two sets looked promising for the Dickinson State University Blue Hawks, but the Mayville State Comets burned brighter for the remainder of the 5-set battle to snatch victory from the talons of defeat, 3-2.
On Thursday night at Scott Gymnasium, seniors Jenna Swope, Bailey Pearcy, and Mackenna Johnson were presented with framed game jerseys and welcomed to center court for recognition with their parents prior to the start of the game.
DSU charged into the first set with confidence and a fast-paced rhythm that quickly fueled a 6-point lead midway through the set and maintained control until the end of the first. They sent a few challenging shots into the Comets far back corners, forcing them to chase fly balls.
The lady Hawks took the second set, but with a bit more difficulty. The Comets were quick to pick up the first few points but Dickinson immediately answered, tying the score four times throughout the period. The lead switched hands numerous times in the set but the Hawks scraped by with a 3-point lead to claim it, 25-21. Senior setter Pearcy tallied 63 assists for the Hawks and libero Swope put up 40 digs. Swope tumbled across the court in a backwards somersault and glided on the ground to rescue several balls with her fingertips.
The remainder of the game was a land-slide crash and burn for Dickinson.
"We started second guessing ourselves a little bit and falling away from all of the things that were working for us," Shari Hewson, DSU volleyball head coach said. "We started trying to change it. When something isn't broken, you don't try to fix it."
The Comets maintained a 4-point lead through the majority of the third set. The Hawks reached a pivotal moment when the score climbed to 15-17 and they were down by just two points. They tied the score at 17 and snuck into a lead briefly (21-20) before Mayville capitalized to close the set 25-22. A Comet victory pushed the match into a fourth and fifth set but as the game carried on, Dickinson burnt out and racked up errors. The Comets on the other hand, were overflowing with energy and drive.
"It just makes it a lot harder when we get in a rut," Pearcy said. "We just have to come out of it sooner and start trying to reset. I think maybe we got a little bit content and lost communication. This last game we want to show our conference what we can do."
Mayville carried on their lead in the fourth, but the Hawks put on a fight with rough contact at the net. Dickinson slowly lost their confidence and became sloppy under pressure but the home court crowd chanted D-S-U with pride.
The fifth set was short, but the Hawks couldn't catch a lead. DSU is in last place out of 8 schools in the conference with a 2-11 record. Their last home game will be Saturday at Scott Gymnasium against Presentation College at 2 p.m.
"Right now, it's on to playing this last game for the seniors," Hewson said. "We need to find a constant up and not so many ups and downs. We have to be consistent and give everything we have every single game."
Mayville State University def. DSU 3-2 (21-25,21-25,25-22,25-17,15-10)
Team Leaders DSU: Kills — 18, Mackenna Johnson; 16, McKenzie Moser; 15, Madi Wahl; 11, Brooklyn Wyllie; Aces — 2, Haydin Henschel; 1, Bailey Pearcy, Moser; Blocks — 4, Johnson, Wahl, Wyllie; Digs — 40, Jenna Swope; 20, Johnson; 18, Pearcy; 16, Henschel; 13, Moser; Assists — 63, Pearcy
Team Leaders MSU: Kills — 18, Ashley Pyburn; 16, Elora Passa; Aces — 2, Passa; Blocks — 5, Pyburn; Digs — 39, Natalie Hadrava; 17, Payton Richter; Assists — 29, Rachel Hill; 22, Passa
